1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sporting goods and, more specifically without limitation, to accessories for hunters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hunting is a popular activity enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. Although a large segment of the hunter population participates on a recreational level, it is recognized that hunting is also a major food-acquiring and producing industry in some parts of the world. Both large and small game are sought after for sport and for food in most of the land-based ecological systems of the world. Regardless of the reason for hunting, people of all ages enjoy doing so in fields, forests, and plains as the climate and season of the year permit.
A hunter is one of the most diversely equipped of all outdoor sportsmen. The basic item needed to hunt is a weapon with lethal capability. Bait or some type of attraction device is sometimes useful in drawing a prey into range. So, one might find a hunter with a rifle, shotgun, or bow and arrow along with a scented lure or a calling device of some sort. But, for many hunters, their equipment goes far beyond that simple collection. The skilled, experienced hunter will have a variety of materials at hand. These are generally secured in portable containers for protection and ease of access.
An experienced hunter knows the habits of the prey that he is hunting. The time of day that an animal moves about their environment, the type of food that they eat, the sounds they make, and other similar practices and routines are researched and studied by the knowledgeable, prepared hunter. These traits are especially critical when the animal that is being hunted is in the big game category. It is these animals that are generally more cautious and more sensitive to changes in their environment.
Deer hunters typically are very thorough in their preparations for an outing. They may wear camouflage clothing, erect a tree stand, and establish a shooting zone. Each of these steps may require a specific amount of time and effort in order to ensure their appropriateness for the time of year and geographic location.
Scent lures are used to attract large game animals to a particular area. One type of scent lure is deer urine. It is set up in a selected area where the movement of the wind causes the scent to be distributed through the air. On days when the air is calm, the scent fails to be circulated as well as would be desired.
In addition, a hunter may desire to set up his staging area in the early dawn hours while it is still dark. Rather than turn on a bright, flood-type light normally exhibited with an ordinary battery-powered lantern which may pre-warn a prey that an adversary is in the area, preferably the hunter has a light that radiates a light only onto a limited area, such as a spot-type light.
Further, when a hunter is setting up his staging area and to minimize disturbances that might betray his presence to a prey, preferably the hunter will have to make only one trip to the staging site will all of his equipment, including weapons, ammunition, portable tree stand, etc. substantial further additions to his hunting repertoire may make this one-trip in scenario next to impossible.
What is needed is a scent-distributing mechanism combined with a spot-type lantern.